Update? Me?

Hmmm, it has been since Kylee was born for my last post. She is now almost 9 months old. I guess I should update my blog.

I think I will do it later today. Really, daughters of mine, I promise I will! At least I redid the background!

Kylee has arrived!

On Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 3:58pm , our fourth grandbaby arrived. Her name is Kylee Lehuanani Carlson and she weighed in at 6'14" and is 19" long.

She is an absolute doll with lots of black hair and dark blue eyes - which may turn to brown, but who knows! She already is showing us a sweet little personality.

I am able to stay with Daniel and Katey for two weeks and am loving every minute of this fantastic experience. Katey did so well during childbirth and Daniel has been so attentive and caring. It is wonderful to be able to see their interaction with each other and this precious little miracle baby.

I am so happy right now and feeling so blessed to have such a wonderful little girl in our family. Grandma loves Kira, Landon, Lorelai and Kylee!

A New Adventure

So here we are in St. George, Utah. Our friend, Cathy Wilson, is the event photographer for the Huntsman World Senior Games. We are helping her with the logistics and the "business" part of the adventure.

The sky is beautiful, the clouds fluffy, the weather is great! The people are friendly and so helpful - hmmm, a little different than So Ca??

Well, off to do some more stuff - by the way, the Wilson's are a great family! Cathy and I have known each other since we were 12/13 , you know just a few years! Here's to good friends

My Bookends

I have been very, very blessed by Heavenly Father. Along with so many joys of life, He has sent me a wonderful set of "bookends"- the oldest and the youngest of all our children.

They make me laugh, cry, wonder, worry, and enjoy life. They have taught me how important prayer is and how our prayers really are answered. They make me smile!

We were able to meet up in June for a few short days in Utah and attended the dedication of the Oquirrh Mountain temple, ate at Cafe Rio and Sonic (cherry limeades - yay!) and just spent time visiting, playing games and visiting some more.

I love being a mother! I really do have the greatest children - and the most fantastic, darling, amazing grandchildren.

Viva Las Vegas!

Cordell and I went to Las Vegas for a tax and trust seminar - I know sounds pretty exciting!!!

One of our highlights was meeting up with Ryan, Stephanie, Todd and Ben for dinner at Cafe Rio (yummy, yummy, yummy!). I love these guys!

And Happy Birthday this week, Ryan!

Blogger Slacker?

Okay, so I have been properly "reminded" that I have not updated my blog for, oh, 3 months. So Sorry :(



So to start the update, I will share this darling picture of my dog, Miya. She was told to go and get her toy for bedtime and she brought back her destuffed, gutted, pheasant, cuddled up with it and feel sound asleep. So cute!






(My children will be rolling their eyes right about now.)



She is now 5 years old and we adore her and spoil her rotten! She has the funniest expressions and she is the sweetest little thing.



Yes, I know, she is the child we never had...

You Just Need A Hug, Katey!

On Tuesday, February 24, Katey had been given some bad news and was having a really rough time when she called me that morning in tears. I asked her if she needed a hug from her mommy and she, in a very teary voice, assured me that she really, really needed a hug from me. Well, I told her that I had a surprise for her and maybe that would make her feel better. Then I suggested she go and get a pedicure, since that is The cure for so many things.

Bonnie and I decided that for our road trip. THE person we needed to cheer up was Katey. We left Tuesday about 11 am, stopped at Leilani’s to visit, stopped at the store, stopped at Barstow to go potty, stopped at, stopped at, stopped at - you get the picture. It took us quite a bit of time to make it to St. George.

We (make that I) then drove like the wind to make it up to Provo by noon. We had arranged with Daniel for him to call Katey and tell her to meet him at J. Dawg’s for lunch on Wednesday.

(Cue Mission Impossible theme music now!) With precise coordination via cell phone we were ready to play. Daniel brought Katey over to the south side of the hut with her eyes closed with the pretense of a surprise he had waiting for her. By the way, in the photos, notice the grin on Daniel's face!

When she opened her eyes and saw us, she was shocked and then burst into tears. As I held my sweet daughter in my arms she sobbed. Mom did, too! As she was crying on my shoulder, she said, “Oh, Mom! I needed you so much! I really wanted a hug from you today! This is just what I need!” She earned lots of brownie points that day!

On The Road Again with Bonnie and Janette

Bonnie and Janette (or as Cordell and the Border Patrol Guy called us, “Thelma and Louise”) went on another road trip. Last time we did this we ended up in Nashville!

We wanted to “make someone’s day” and we knew just where to head. But that will be for the next post…..

We had a wonderful time as we went to Salt Lake City and attended a session at the temple.

We stayed at Blair and Sylvia Andersen’s home in Sandy, Utah and had a great time visiting with them. I love them so much! No one could ever have better friends than I do!

We went to J. Dawg’s in Provo – muy delicioso! And I even tried the sauerkraut. This place is the bomb!

On our way home we were in St. George where we met up with one of our great friends from Riverside, Cathy Coles Wilson. We have all known each other for almost 40 years. It was fun to get out the old Girls Camp photos and try to remember everyone. Please note there IS EVIDENCE that I was once young, skinny and had hair (without any gray) down to my waist!

We visited the Brigham Young Winter Home and then went to some of the hiking areas and natural wonders of St. George.

We decided to take a jaunt out to Colorado City since I had never seen a polygamist compound. Oh, my! I had no idea that it was like this. No one had any finished homes (that way they don’t pay taxes) or landscaped yards – it was all red dirt- and the properties were filled with bikes and cars and junk. Nothing looked like it was taken care of or appreciated. I don’t understand it.

The children were beautiful, clean and polite. The women’s hair amazed me. The braiding and plaiting was so intricate. There were so many different ways for them to express themselves with their hair and stay within the community’s restrictions.
Mostly, I just don’t understand why a woman would settle for that lifestyle. And why a husband would want so many wives – Cordell, for some reason, has assured me that he would NEVER take more than one wife, since he can’t handle the one he has!!!

Road trips with a girlfriend - they are GGGRRRREEEAAATTT!!

Spaghetti, Chocolate Cake and Grandchildren…Oh My!

Leilani and the urchins came over for dinner the other night. We were having spaghetti and since Jake doesn’t like it and he was at work…well, you get the picture!

And speaking of pictures, these say it all. As evidence shows, Landon loved, loved his food and our little Miss Kira was such a grown up lady and ate so neatly. She is such an angel!

January Happenings

Well, the holidays are past and January is here. Still no news on the job front - the market is awful right now - but we keep trying and hoping that something will pop soon. Keep us in your prayers!

Thinking that the contract for Cordell was going to happen immediately for his new job we made some fun plans for January - you know, get those few days of vacation living in before we have to work again! (And the contract has been delayed for several months, so we are back to square one - Dang!) Well, so much for the best laid plans of mice and men....

Southern California has had exceptionally wonderful weather this year. Sunshine, 70'2 to 80's, blue skies, bits of wind, just perfect. Reminding us of why we live here! So we headed to Catalina for a few days of diving, relaxing and sunshine. Cordell's brother and sister in law, Steve and Sandy, were talked into going with us. Believe me, with this weather, it didn't take too much talking!

Steve and Sandy are so fun to be with - we played games in the evening and loved our ocean view rooms!

We had a great time feeding the pigeons on the Green Pier - till someone came by and told us they were covered with lice and we probably shouldn't let them touch us! Ewww!

And if there was ever any question as to why people pay higher prices to live here, this is the answer! It was wonderful!

And since it was so beautiful in California, Janette decided to go and visit Katey in snowy, cold, freezing Utah! Why does she always want to go in January????? This could be a total study of contrasts.

This sign says it all!

We laughed at this picture - no Janette hasn't fluffed her hair like the locals! The slight wind and static electricity in the air did wonders for the look, though! What do you think - shall I make a change to "The Look?"

We made sure we did the "culinary tour" of the Provo area. We visited and did our fine dining at places like Cafe Rio (steak salad - yum!), Sonic (cherry limeade), J. Dawg's (the best hot dogs ever!), Zupo's (great soup and sandwiches) and Happy Sumo - where I actually enjoyed the sushi, chicken of course, no raw seafood for this one!

It was so fun to be with Katey and Daniel. I love these guys. They are such good people - and way cute, too!

So, back to reality for us. In spite of everything going on, the challenges we are facing, etc., I realize that I have so much to be grateful for in my life. I am surrounded by a great family, friends, church members, and am amazed at how many blessings have been showered upon us.

Christmas Present is Now Past

My, oh, my, how do we describe this past month? It has been wonderful!

We made sure that almost all preparations (shopping, wrapping, Christmas cards, homemade candy, etc.) were finished by Thanksgiving weekend and are sooo glad that it was done! Since on December 10, Cordell was informed that his position had been eliminated at the hospital due to a $35M budget cut and he was now unemployed. Merry Christmas to us!

It actually has been a blessing so far. The stress from his horrendous boss, the commute, everything (!) being alleviated has made him feel and look 10 years younger. Of course it leads to another set of challenges, such as, oh, income, health benefits, etc. All "minor" worries! Yikes!

But....the kids came home, except for Mike and Stevie who weren't able to leave RI at this time. We gathered, we ate, we played, we visited, we ate, we watched movies, we ate, we played on ther Wii, we went for walks, and then ate some more. Amazing how much stuff I used to have in the freezer! Also amazing how much trash was generated, how many times the dishwasher needed to be run and how busy the washer and dryer seemed to be.

So a pictorial glimpse of the holidays from our home to yours....

We went to Thoroughbred Lane in Alta Loma to see the most amazing displays of Christmas lights!

(l to r) Daniel, Katey, Kyle, Jamie, Janette, Cordell and Miya

Stefani, Janette, Katey and Jamie









Stefani with Kira and Landon

Leilani with Landon, Jake, Katey, Daniel, Ian
Jamie, Kira, Melissa, Kyle, Stefani and Miya

Our early Christmas dinner (Monday before Christmas) filling ourselves with enchiladas, tamales, arroz, frijoles, and lots of other good stuff! we loved having Uncle Adolph and Ruth here with us! Cousins - remember the chile rellanos when we were kids???

Big, bad Guitar Hero fiends!

Grandma loves her Kira Bear!

As we said goodbye to 2008, we lifted our glasses filled with sparkling cider and toasted each other with wishes of a fantastic 2009. Remembering, of course, that we were in So. CA at midnight in our bathing suits in the spa and watching the images at Times Square where it was 17 degrees!!!!


Ahhh, our life is good! Happy New Year and wishing you all a prosperous and joyous 2009!

Just the Vacation We Both Needed!

Well, it has been a few weeks since I added anything to my blog. the Reason? We were on a great vacation!

We flew to NYC, had Jamie join us and traipsed through the Financial District for a visit during, as the newspapers blared, "The Worst Week In History on Wall Street!"

After this we made our way (slowly! There was tons of traffic!) to Rhode Island to spend the weekend with Mike and Stevie.

We took the ferry to Block Island and rode mopeds all over the island. It was great! The next day we went to Newport to see The Mansions. Oh my heavens! They were beyond opulent.

Our next leg of the trip was to Boston to see some great historical places, i.e., Paul Revere's home, The North Church, etc. (Jamie took the bus home to NYC and it was just quiet, couple time for Cordell and I.)

But, of course, we had to go to the place where everyone knows our name...the Cheers Bar!

For some very needed R & R, we made our way to Cape Cod and stayed at the Bursley Manor. It is a historical home, built in 1670, beautifully restored and absolutely wonderful.














We stayed in the Wicker room - decorated with Waverly Fabrics, wicker furniture, a jacuzzi tub and a wood burning fireplace. Ahhhh!!!!

The walks on the beach were relaxing and healing. We wandered all the way to Provincetown (P-Town in Cape Cod lingo) and "shor-a" had a great time. We had no problem pahking the cahr, but a bit of a struggle understanding what some of the locals were saying. Oh, well!

Then off to NYC again, this time to meet up with Jamie and take the Culinary and Cultural Tour of Greenwich Village. In other words, we ate our way through part of the Village! Murray's Cheese shop, John's Pizza, Bleecker Street Pizza (our winner for best in the Village), O & Co., Amy's Bread, Faiccos, Milk and Cookies, Rocco's Pastries, and several more. This sampling can be tough work, but, hey, someone has to do it!

Then we sent Cordell off to JFK to fly home and Janette and Jamie spent the next 8 days playing.

It must be said on this blog, so that everyone understands, that to get to the subway from Jamie's apartment, we must climb (3 miles uphill, barefoot in the snow, wind whirling all around us, the elements beating us down kind of climb) a maliciously evil hill that tried it's hardest to get me toned and shaped, but just helped me lose a few pounds and caused a rather pronounced sense of discomfort in the backside area. Ow!

We went back to the Village a couple of times, had a great time at Will Varner's place in Brooklyn for a chicken enchilada dinner with a bunch of his friends, walked through the city for hours at a time, went to 3 shows ("Body of Water," "South Pacific," and "A Man for All Seasons"), shopped, ate at several different places, walked through Central Park, watched movies, talked, and basically, just had a wonderful time.

I can say that:

• I got a much better sense of the subway and how it works.
• I think that subway rats are despicable, dirty creatures that give me the creeps.
• I love walking against the red lights. and I LOVE Magnolia Bakery cupcakes!
• And I think that the people that Jamie has for roommates, church members, friends and coworkers are really the best.

I had a great time, but it was nice to leave the rain, cold, windy weather in the east and come back to the 90 degree heat of So. CA.

I already miss you, Jamie!

Popsicles Are The Best!

Not too long ago Cordell and I had the fun opportunity to babysit Landon while Jake, Leilani and Kira went to Disneyland. He is such a fun spirited and happy little guy! He just brings smiles and a sweetness to our lives.

But, he is definitely a BOY! He charges through life, gets banged up and bruised, loves to throw everything everywhere, thinks belching is funny and is laughing and smiling at, almost, all times.

I love this little boy - he is a ray of sunshine to everyone!

A Funny Thing Happened OnThe Way Home From the Dodge Dealer....

The funniest thing happened today on the way home from Glendora Dodge today.

I had to leave the truck there overnight -the rear view mirror fell off the window - again . So the serviceman asked the courtesy van driver to take me home.

Well...little did I know that I would be entertained the whole way home! Apparently the driver moonlights as an Elvis impersonator. The hair-do should have tipped me off. He told me all about how he became obsessed (he used the word "interested") with Elvis when he was 13 years old.

He then asked me if I remembered Elvis in, oh, "Blue Hawaii," and when I said yes, he told me the character's name and sang a song from the movie, in Elvis voice no less. Then he asked me about "Harem Scarum," and then "Fun in Alcapulco" or whatever that one was named. With each movie, I heard about the character and then was given a personal concert of Elvis impersonator songs from the various movies.

Cracked me up! I tried really, really hard to be supportive and not to fall over dying of laughter. You can all be proud of me - I waited till I got in the door, and Elvis had left the building, I mean the driveway, and then totally lost it.

Why does this always happen to me????

Reflections

I had the opportunity to attend a funeral today for someone I have known for many, many years - Ron Teeples. He and his family have been in Claremont for 30 something years and his children, Ryan and Jill, swam at Industry Hills and the Claremont Club with Jamie and Kyle. Whenever I think of any of the Teeples family, I am filled with thoughts of their kindness, sweetness, patience, fun, and intellectual endeavors.

As I listened to tributes from his family, memories of his colleagues at Claremont McKenna College, and the heartfelt expressions from his LDS friends, it made me wonder about my own life.

Have I accomplished what is really important?

Have I been wise in my stewardship as a mother? As a wife? As a sister and daughter? As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? As a member of society in general?

I know that I have never been perfect in any of the roles that I have played thus far in my life. There have been times that I was too tired to do much more than what I was accomplishing at the time. I feel as though I have failed or been "less than" in so many areas.

BUT, I know that no matter what I did or didn't do, my family will know that I love them.

I have tried to see the fun in many experiences and taken the scenic route whenever I can (that is Janette speak for getting lost or just wandering).

I have tried to be compassionate and interested in the people around me. Except when driving. Enough said.

I have enjoyed the learning from the best books, and some from the "just fun to read" books. I have learned to appreciate and enjoy immersing myself in the scriptures - wow, they are awesome!

I have tried to be obedient - even when I didn't want to be! ( I took out the second pair of earrings when I was told by the prophet! I really liked that bit of rebelliousness, but I did it because it was the right thing to do.)

I have been able to slow down and enjoy nature more, people more, and allow myself to have some quiet study times. It has been lovely.

I can say that I have been able to laugh when it would have been easier to cry. I have been able to smile and laugh with ease. Especially when Cordell does his Mr. Bean imitations.

So have I accomplished all that I can? No. Am I okay with that? Yes. I have much more to do and am reinvigorated by the chance I have to be here on earth for a while longer. So for now, I am ready to go on to "fight the good fight" for another day.

Which means, that I need to get off the computer and go get ready to go to Cruise Night in the Village with mi esposo! (At least I didn't say that I now have to play Solitaire on the computer or Sudoku on my DS Lite!)

I love you, family and friends! You make my life so wonderful and joyful!

Now THIS is a Labor Day Weekend!

For the last week and a half, Jamie has been visiting from NYC. As a surprise to her, Katey and Daniel flew in from SLC on Friday evening for the weekend.

Well, what better way is there to spend a Saturday in Southern California than going to the beach??? We traipsed off to Corona Del Mar (south side- oh yeah!) and totally enjoyed the warm sun, nice breeze and beyond perfect water. So nice, so refreshing! Ahhh, paradise!



Cordell and Daniel really know how to have an exciting time at the beach! Reading and relaxing, sitting out of the sun, lots to eat and drink - now that is a day off! Of course, Jamie and Kira were really into the sand castle routine.




Daniel and Katey getting ready to play in the surf


After playing, and Jamie getting totally fried (she's been gone from the sun waaaay too long!), we went to Wahoo's in Laguna for some yummy fish tacos, burritos, salads and chillin' while watching the waves.


On Sunday everyone came over and we BBQ'ed hamburgers, etc. Brandon, Lucy and Filipe (Janette's nephew and his sweet wife and baby) came to be with us and Abby and Jim Gillespie (Jake's mom and step dad) were able to join in the fun as well. We were only missing Mike and Stevie and the day would have been perfect!


It was an absolutely heavenly day - I am sure that the celestial kingdom will be just like this weekend! At least in my world.....